Mining-car coupling.



N. MANDABACH.

MINING CAR COUPLING.

-' APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7. 1913. 1,298,238.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

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N. MANDABACH.

MINING CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. I, 1918 1,298,238. Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

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INVENTOR. M09014: Ml/m4a4a/ A TTORNE Y.

NICHOLAS MANDAIBACH, OF VINCENNES, INDIANA.

MINING-CAR COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application filed October 7, 1918. Serial No. 257,304.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS MANDABAGH, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Vincennes, county of Knox, and State of Indiana, haveinvented a certain new and useful Mining-Car Coupling; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which likenumerals refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide a practical couplingmechanism for mining cars, which will couple automatically, and preventinjury to trip riders, and which will not break if one car happens toget off the track while coupled, and in which the coupling means willnot project beyond the car when uncoupled, so as to interfere with theelevation of the car through the shaft.

A feature of this invention consist in providing a flexible couplinghaving a plurality of links and a draw bar arranged so as to supportsaid links when ready for coupling with the outer link projectinghorizontally so as to automatically couple with the other member of thecoupling on the other car, and, when pulling, said outer link will bewithdrawn from the draw bar and the flexible coupling will extend fulllength, and when uncoupled the flexible coupling will hang down from andunder the draw bar.

The foregoing and other features of this invention will be more "fullyunderstood from the accompanying drawings and the following descriptionof claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the adjacent ends oftwo mining cars with parts ready to be coupled, the remaining parts ofthe cars being broken away.

Fig. 2 1s the same with the cars coupled and pulling. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the draw bar on one car with the flexible coupling membersuspended therefrom in its position after the cars have been uncoupled.Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the draw bar and portions with which it isconnected, parts being broken away and parts omitted. Fig. 5 is acentral, vertical, longitudinal sec tion with the draw bar and flexiblecoupling member, with the links of said coupling member in theirposition ready for coupling, Fig. 6 is a similar section of the otherdraw bar and coupling member on the other car.

To illustrate this invention there is shown herein portions of twomining cars 10 and 11 to which draw bars 12 and 13, respectively, aresecured in any suitable manner. So far as thls invention is concerned itis immaterial just what may be the construction of the cars or drawbars, excepting in the particulars hereinafter specified.

The draw bar 12, with which the flexible coupling member is connected,is provided in its outer end with a horizontal recess 15, and a verticalrecess 16 in a plane midway of the horizontal recess. The horizontalrecess is wider than the vertical recess, so as to have bottom walls112. The vertical recess is higher than the horizontal recess andextends entirely through the bottom of the draw bar and therefore it hasvertical side walls 212, and it also extends rearwardly beyond therecess 12, as seen in Fig. 5.

The flexible coupling member, as is herein shown, consists of a clevis20 pivoted by the pins 21 to the draw bar, so that the clevis fitsastride the draw bar and to the rear of the recess 16. A link 22 isconnected with the clevis 20, so as to be in a plane longitudinally ofthe draw bar, and the link 23 is connected with the link 22, so as toassume a position in a plane transversely of the draw bar as seen inFig. 3.

It is immaterial how many links are in this flexible couplingmember,provided there are at least two besides the clevis.

When the trip driver desires to place the flexible coupling member inposition for antomatically coupling, he inserts the rear end of theouter link horizontally into the recess 15, so that the side members ofthe link will be supported horizontally by the bottom walls 112, of saidrecess, and said link 23 will project forwardly as shown in Fig. 5, inposition to enter the recess of the draw bar on the other car, when thecars are bumped together for coupling.

When the link 23 is placed in its recess 15, such action will at thesame time insert the upper end of the intermediate link 22 into therecess 16, as shown in Fig. 5, then the link 22 will be suspended invertical position hanging on the inner end of link 23. To accomplishthis result, the link 22 is preferably somewhat longer than the clevis20, so that when the link 22 is in the position as shown in Fig. 5 readyfor coupling, the clevis 20 will lie loosely in connection with saidlink.

The coupling 13, on the other car, has a recess 30 in position toreceive the outer end member 31, in the form ofa plate substan tiallytriangular shape and pivoted in its upper front corner by transverse pin32 in the vertical'slot 33 in the top of the draw bar. This enables thecoupling member 31 to be rocked into and out of coupling position. Thelower end of said coupling member is adapted to enter and extend through7 slot 34. in the bottom wall" of the draw bar, and engage the shoulder35of the bottom wall of the. draw bar during the pull. The upper end ofthe coupling member 31 has a finger piece or extension 36, so that saidcoupling member can. be rocked by hand or a tool into the upper positionfor disengaging it, the link 23 being stopped in such upper movement byengaging the transverse wall 37 ofthe draw bar; and when the couplingmember 31 is released, gravity will antomatically return it to thecoupling position as shown in Fig. 6. Whenin such cou-.

pling position its outer edge inclines down wardly and rearwardly asshown in Fig. 6, so that during the coupling of the two cars, the link23 will enter the recess 30 and push against the inclined forward edgeof the coupling member 31 and rock it up out of the way, until the link23 has passed in and beyond the coupling member 31, whereupon saidcoupling member 31 will automatically return by gravity to the couplingposition shown in Fig. 6* and complete the coupling of the two cars.

From the foregoing explanation it will be apparent that the cars can beautomatr cally coupled: by merely bumping them together, when using. thecoupling apparatus herein shown. The trip driver merely places theflexible coupling member in the position shownin Fig. 5 for that purposeand when the .carshave bumped together the coupling will be complete.When the cars are pulled the flexible coupling member will be drawn outits full length as shown in Fig. 2. WVhen uncoupled the flexiblecoupling member will hang downas. in Fig. 3, which is important becauseit is necessary that there be no extQIlSiOn at the end of the car tointerfere with the side walls of the shaft as the car is being elevatedfrom the mines.

If a car shouldhappen to get off the track,

copies of this-patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe (lonimi'ssimlerofPatents;

which is a very common occurrence in mines,

the coupling Would not be. broken or injured because it is flexible andrelatively long and it couldzbe readily uncoupled in such an event bymerely rocking the coupling 31. Also there would be no opportunity forthe cars to be uncoupled by coal falling from the shafts thereof uponthe coupling members. i V

The invention claimed is 1. Coupling mechanism for cars including 7 achain coupling member, a draw bar to which one end of said couplingmember is attached and provided with means for hold 7 clevis and anintermediate link and an end 7 link, and a draw bar with'which theclevis is connected in transverseposition and provided. with means forsupporting the end link in horizontal; position and projectingoutwardly, substantially as and for the pur,

pose set forth.

3. Coupling mechanism for carsincluding a flexible couplingmember-having a plurality of links, and a draw bar with which one endofthe coupling member is'connected,

said draw bar having a horizontal recess in the outer end and above thebottom thereof to receive the inner end ofthe outer link and hold it inhorizontal'position and projecting outwardly, and a verticalrecess'extending through the end and bottom of" said draw bar forreceivingthe-outer endof'the second link, when the endlink is insertedinI said draw bar, substantially as set forth.

4. Coupling mechanism for cars including a flexible coupling memberhaving a plural ity of'links', anda draw bar with which one end of thecoupling-member is connected,

said drawbar having-a horizontal recess; in

the outer end and above the bottom thereof to receive the innerend ofthe outerlink and hold it in horizontalposition' and projectingoutwardly, and a verticalrecess extending through the end and'bot-tom,of said draw bar for receivingthe outer end of; the second link when theend'link is-inserted in said draw bar, said vertical recess beinglocated centrally of the horizontal recess and extendingrearwardlythereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

NICHOLAS MANDAhACHi Washington, D. Q."

